5 Reasons Why ‘Independence Day: Resurgence’ Bombed

The expectations for the domestic debut of Fox’s “Independence Day” sequel were already set low, at around $50 million. It went from bad to worse when “Independence Day: Resurgence” came in $10 million lower than predicted — at an estimated $41.6 million for the weekend.

The apocalyptic alien invasion sequel, out two entire decades after the original hit theaters in 1996, made far less on its opening than the original — which earned $50.2 million and went on to become the No. 1 movie of the year, amassing $817.4 million worldwide.

Also given 20 years worth of inflation and increased ticket prices, “Resurgence” is far from being a hit. To add insult to injury, the original production cost $75 million, compared with an estimated $165 million this time around (not counting marketing expenditures).

The silver lining: The movie is opening strong overseas, having grossed an estimated $102 million in 57 markets over the weekend. $15.8 million of that came from IMAX screens, accounting for the second-best global opening for a Fox release in the format.

Here’s what went wrong with “Independence Day: Resurgence” stateside:

1. Will Smith wasn’t in it.
The lead from the original 1996 hit did not return for its sequel two decades later. Fox reportedly tried for years to get Smith back into the driver’s seat of an “Independence Day” followup, but to no avail. For this particular sequel, scheduling conflicts got in the way, according to Smith, who said he was filming Warner Bros.’ “Suicide Squad” during the “Resurgence” production. Without its biggest character and star returning, the project clearly suffered.

2. Liam Hemsworth can’t carry a film.
The youngest Hemsorth brother, Liam has had a lot of success as the man behind the woman in the “Hunger Games” series, playing Gale Hawthorne opposite Jennifer Lawrence‘s Katniss Everdeen. But the Aussie actor has yet to prove he can hold the reigns of a studio tentpole as a leading man, something his brother Chris is having trouble with, too, outside of his “Thor” series.

3. Returning cast members aren’t box office draws.While their resurgent appearances in the sequel likely added interest to the project for diehard fans, it’s hard to argue that Jeff Goldblum, Vivica A. Fox, or Bill Pullman have ever had star power at the box office — even twenty years ago. Their return to the series didn’t move the needle.

4. It got bad reviews.The Rotten Tomatoes score for “Resurgence” is now a shoddy 33 percent, as most critics panned it for its unimpressive visual effects, boring storyline, and cliched lines like, “We’re gonna kick some alien ass.” According to the review aggregation site, the 1996 original averaged 62 percent on the Tomatometer — not great, but not nearly as bad as the sequel

5. They waited too long.Nowadays, any film that becomes a top grossing movie — in any category — gets the sequel treatment, let alone the top movie of the year. For example, once Disney’s “Frozen” hit top animated feature of all time, it instantly inspired plans for the followup film — with the short “Frozen Fever” put out in between to whet fans’ appetites. “Resurgence” simply came 20 years too late.

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Long-gestating follow-ups include blockbusters like "Jurassic World" and famous flops like "Blues Brothers 2000" and "Zoolander 2" -- that arrived more than a decade after their predecessors.

Harrison Ford returned for Denis Villeneuve's "Blade Runner 2049" a full 35 years after starring in Ridley Scott's 1982 sci-fi classic.

“The Odd Couple II” is among the sequels with the biggest gaps between films. Twenty-nine years after the 1968 original, Jack Lemmon returned as Felix Unger and Walter Matthau was Oscar Madison in their last film together.

Paramount

“Tron: Legacy” came 28 years after the original, and featured Jeff Bridges and Bruce Boxleitner. Shot in 3D, the film featured extensive visual effects and a score by Daft Punk. It grossed more than $400 million worldwide in 2010.

Greed was still pretty good in “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps,” which came 23 years after the original and returned Michael Douglas as Gordon Gecko and co-starred Shia LaBeouf.

Fox

Who says you can't go home again? Ewan McGregor's Mark Renton returned for "T2 Trainspotting" 21 years after the original film.

Fox

Sly Stallone wrote, directed and starred in 2008’s “Rambo,” which came 20 years after “Rambo III.” It was dedicated to the memory of Richard Crenna, who played Col. Sam Trautman in the first three films.

Lionsgate

Roland Emmerich's "Independence Day: Resurgence" invaded theaters fully two decades after his 1996 original -- and this time without Will Smith.

A full 20 years after "Dumb and Dumber," Jeff Daniels and Jim Carrey reprised their roles as dim-witted pals in 2014's "Dumb and Dumber To."

“The Last Picture Show” stars Cybill Shepherd and Jeff Bridges returned after 19 years for 1990’s “Texasville,” which unlike the original drama about small-town America, was shot in color.

Columbia

“Blues Brothers 2000” came 18 years after the 1980 original. John Goodman stepped in for the late John Belushi – John Candy and Cab Calloway also died before the sequel – but the film bombed.

Universal

“Live Free or Die Hard” might have arrived sooner than 2007, 16 years after “Die Hard with a Vengeance,” but it was delayed after the events of 9/11. In this one, Bruce Willis’ John McClane character battles cyber terrorists.

Fox

Sly Stallone wrote, directed and stars in 2006’ “Rocky Balboa,” the sixth film in the boxing franchise. It came 16 years after “Rocky V,” and featured the pugilist as widower, retired from the ring and running an Italian restaurant called “Adrian’s,” after his late wife.

MGM

Star Jack Nicholson and writer Robert Towne came back for 1990’s “The Two Jakes,” the followup to the 1974 noir classic “Chinatown.” Audiences didn’t however, and it flopped.

Paramount

The hapless Vermont state troopers from the Broken Lizard comedy troupe returned to the big screen in 2018's "Super Troopers 2" -- fully 17 years after the 2001 original.

Fox

Francis Ford Coppola delivered 1990’s “The Godfather Part III” 16 years after the series’ previous installment and closed the book on Michael Corleone. The director’s casting of his daughter Sofia drew fire; Julia Roberts, Madonna and Winona Ryder were also considered for the role.

Paramount

Sharon Stone reprised her role as Catherine Tramell in 2006's “Basic Instinct 2,” the sequel to the 1992 erotic thriller. But moviegoers weren’t turned on and it bombed.

Sony/Columbia

Pixar waited a full 14 years to bring the superhero Parr family back to the big screen in 2018's "Incredibles 2."

Writer-director Malcolm D. Lee waited 14 years before turning out “The Best Man Holiday,” a sequel to his 1999 ensemble comedy “The Best Man.” The timing was right: the sequel made $71 million on a $17 million budget.

Paul Hogan and Linda Kozlowski returned for “Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles,” which followed the original by 13 years. But the sequel didn’t have many g’days at the box office.

Paramount

Shirley MacLaine and Jack Nicholson came back after 13 years for “Evening Star,” the followup to 1983’s Best Picture Oscar winner “Terms of Endearment.”

Paramount

"xXx: Return of Xander Cage" came out 15 years after the original and 12 years after its sequel. The second film did not star Vin Diesel as Xander Cage, but he made his return in the third film, which grossed $20 million its opening weekend.

Paramount

The 2003 action film “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines” came 12 years after “Judgment Day” and was the last film for Arnold Schwarzenegger before he took over as California’s governor.

Warner Bros.

Writer-director Kevin Smith didn't plan on making a sequel to his 1994 cult hit "Clerks." But after 11 years -- and "Jersey Girl" -- he changed his mind.

Miramax

Critics took director Tobe Hooper to task for infusing too much black humor into the cannibal saga “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2,” which came a decade after the original 1974 slasher film.

Cannon Films

"Zoolander 2," with Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson reprising their roles, came out 15 years after the original. Hoping to reel in fans of the first film, the sequel only managed to gross $28 million.

Paramount Pictures

"My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2" is opening in theaters on March 25, 14 years after the original hit the big screen. It will be opening against box office behemoth "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" starring Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill.

Universal

"Finding Dory" is the sequel to 2003's "Finding Nemo," meaning it took 13 years for our fishy friends to come back to the big screen.

PIxar

"Bridget Jones's Baby" is hitting theaters a full 12 years after the last in the franchise and 15 years after the first film, "Bridget Jones's Diary." The 2001 original was a commercial and box office success, while its 2004 sequel "Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason" scored measly reviews and has a score of 27 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.

Universal

"Barbershop: The Next Cut," the 2016 follow-up to 2004's "Barbershop 2: Back in Business," was the third movie in the franchise.

Warner Bros.

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Pixar’s animated hit is the latest follow-up to arrive more than a decade after its predecessor

Long-gestating follow-ups include blockbusters like "Jurassic World" and famous flops like "Blues Brothers 2000" and "Zoolander 2" -- that arrived more than a decade after their predecessors.